home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Collection of Tools & Utilities
/
Collection of Tools and Utilities.iso
/
bbsutil
/
qcktop26.zip
/
QCKTOP40.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-04-16
|
45KB
|
1,164 lines
Top40 - version 2.6
WILDCAT! BBS, QuickBBS, and PowrBBS Top 40 user utility
January 7, 1990
Revised April 16, 1991
(C) Copyright 1990 Judson McCranie. All rights reserved.
Judson S. McCranie
Mantissa Software
1505 E. Park, #G4
Valdosta, GA 31602
Ph: (912) 242-1405
NOTE: This documentation applies to three versions of Top40:
WCTop40 for Wildcat BBS, QckTop40 for QuickBBS, and PwrTop40 for
PowrBBS. The actual program files are prefixed with "WC", "Qck",
or "Pwr" except for the output bulletin files.
The latest version of the program and support are available
through:
Bad Lands (QuickBBS)
300/1200/2400/9600 HST 8,N,1.
Sysop: Andy Smith
(912) 247-6977
This program is distributed on a "Shareware" (try-before-you-buy)
basis. You are free to copy it and to distribute copies at cost.
You may not alter the program (or its documentation) or sell it
for profit.
You may try this program for a period of 30 days. If you
continue to use this program after the 30 day period then you
must register it by sending your the name of your board, the
board's phone number, and your name & address along with the
program name and version number with a $20 registration and
license fee to me at the address above. You will receive support
for the program, announcements of new versions of this program,
and information about several other programs. Please send any
inquires, comments, or suggestions to me at the address above.
WHAT IS TOP40:
Top40 is a Sysop utility designed to create over a dozen
different top user bulletins. It makes full use of the activity
log and creates a user data file which is updated with each use.
The WC version of the program is designed to work with WILDCAT
2.xx but may work with previous versions. The Qck version is
designed to work with QuickBBS version 2.6x, but may work with
other versions. The Pwr version of the program is designed to
work with PowrBBS version 1.30 but should work with other
versions.
You should find the following files in the archived file.
xxxTop40.DOC this documentation file
Top40 .XM? examples of bulletins
xxTop40I.EXE sysop installation program (PwrT40I.EXE for Pwr)
xxxTop40.EXE program to generate bulletins
WCTop40C.EXE converts files from 1.5x format to 2.0x (WC only)
WCT40C23.EXE converts files from 2.1x/2.2 to 2.3/2.4 (WC only)
ORDERBLK.DOC registration form
OTHER .DOC other programs by this author
where xxx = "WC", "QCK", or "PWR" and xx = "WC", "QCK", or "PW".
The program will generate the following files in the current
directory:
xxTop40.OPT generated by the installation program
xxTop40.DAT generated by the main program
xxTop40.SIZ generated by then main or conversion program
where xx = "WC", "Qck", or "Pwr".
These files should be in the same directory as the Top40 EXE
files and that directory should be the current directory when
Top40 is run (i.e. - don't run Top40 with a path). You can
specify a path to the activity log and user data files and a path
to which the bulletin files will be written.
This program is a utility to add top user lists to the WILDCAT
BBS, QuickBBS, or PowerBBS. It can be run after each call or as
an event. You can specify the number of users that will appear
on the list, or disable any report. The program compiles reports
of the top users of each of following from the activity log:
callers
posters (messages)
uploaders
downloaders
door openers
carrier droppers (Use as a bulletin if D/Cs are really bad)
security violators (recommended for yourself only)
Note: The program currently considers any termination of the call
other than a normal logoff a "carrier drop". It could more
properly be called an abnormal termination or logoff.
It also will generate these compilation reports:
newest users
best users (based of total points > 0)
BBS losers (based on total points < 1)
All users (based on total points)
triple list - report of any three of the above categories
Three "triple lists" are available.
The most unique feature is the list of the top users, which is
based on a weighted point system. For instance, you can assign 2
points for each call, 1 point for each message, 10 points for
each upload, -5 points for each download, -10 points for each
security violation, etc. The user's total points is based on
this value calculated from his statistics.
Item Used Recommended Point Value
Number of Calls 1 to 2
Number of Messages posted 2 to 4
Number of Uploads 10 to 25
Number of Downloads -5 to -15
Number of Door uses 1 to 3
Number of Carrier drops -1 to -3
Number of Security violations -3 to -5
Feel free to experiment with the point values until the resulting
scores suit you. You should probably consider a balance between
the points for uploads and the points for downloads. For
instance, if you expect a 5:1 upload:download ratio, the point
value for an upload should probably be 5 times as large (in
absolute value) as the value for a download (e.g. +20 for an
upload, -4 for a download).
The "newest users" is a list of the newest users. The newest
user will be #1 on the list, etc. This should be encouraging to
new users since they will get to see their names at the top of
the list the next time they call. Otherwise, it would be quite a
while before they make any of the top user lists.
CHANGES IN VERSION 2.6:
Added support for QuickBBS.
CHANGES IN VERSION 2.5:
Fixed a bug in the Wildcat version installation program.
Added the option of entering the name of the user data file.
CHANGES IN VERSION 2.4:
Faster reading and writing of disk files.
Smaller EXE file.
CHANGES IN VERSION 2.3:
Add support for PowrBBS.
Add an extension option for ASCII files.
New options file format.
CHANGES IN VERSION 2.2:
The "Purge deleted users" choice in the installation program will
delete any users from the Top40 data file that have been deleted
from the Wildcat user data base. The "Delete users" (which
deleted individual users) has been removed from the installation
program. I no longer see a need for it, but if you think it
should stay in the program please let me know.
The background color problem in the ANSI screens has been fixed.
(Thanks to Bob Lias for informing me of the problem.)
You can now specify the path to the user data file (USERFILE.DAT
or USERS).
CHANGES IN VERSION 2.14:
There was a bug in versions 2.1 through 2.13 in the "newest user
list". (Thanks to Cam DeBuck for pointing this out.) See "How
bugs creep into programs" for more details.
CHANGES IN VERSION 2.1:
Support for Wildcat version 2.15.
Fix a bug when a user is deleted by WCRepair.
Option of ANSI screens.
Option of counting down to number 1 on the lists.
SUMMARY OF CONVERSION FOR USERS OF VERSIONS PRIOR TO 2.3:
The options data file (WCTop40.OPT) has been reorganized. You
can't simply run the program with the old option file like you
could when going from version 2.0x to 2.1x or 2.2, or from 2.1x
to 2.2.
Here is my recommendation for users of previous versions who
which to upgrade to the current version while retaining their
data. There are several things you could do to upgrade the data
files. In all cases, I recommend making a backup copy of the
data files before doing the conversion. More details follow, but
my recommendations are:
For users of 2.1x or 2.2, the easiest way to get to 2.4 (or 2.3x)
is to run WCT40C23 to convert the options file to the new format,
and then run the installation program and check all options. In
parti